Cottier v. City of Martin

After the district court’s dismissal of this case was reversed by a divided panel in Cottier v. City of Martin, 445 F.3d 1113 (8th Cir.2006) (Cottier I), the district court on remand ruled that the City of Martin was liable for diluting the voting strength of Native Americans, in violation of § 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Cottier v. City of Martin, 466 F.Supp.2d 1175 (D.S.D.2006). As a remedy, the district court ordered the City to adopt a municipal government structure that is not authorized by South Dakota law, and to implement an at-large, cumulative voting scheme designed to…